The Biopsychology Of The Runner’s High

The Biopsychology Of The Runner’s High

Although running is an elegantly simple endeavor, understanding the bio-psychological processes of the experience is somewhat more involved. For those new to the term, biopsychology applies biological principles to the study of “physiological, genetic and developmental mechanisms of behavior.” It is also referred to as behavioral neuroscience, psychobiology and biological psychology.

Multiple Aspects of the Runner’s High

Studies help us to better understand the runner’s high, which is commonly associated with feelings of:

Euphoria

Anxiolysis

Sedation

Analgesia

For many years, the release of beta-endorphins has been credited with the well-being and elation runners often experience. However, according to research conducted by Fuss, Steinle and their associates in Germany, there is another process in play. The researchers assert that running releases both an opiod (beta-endorphins) and an endocannabinoid (anandamide). Their work is the subject of an abstract published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The findings challenge the traditional hypothesis that “exercise-induced endorphin release is solely responsible for a runner’s high.” They define the runner’s high as an “ephemeral pleasant phenomenon that may be experienced during long-term running.”

According to one of the lead researchers, Johannes Fuss, they surmised that their must be another process involved in the runner’s high because endorphins cannot defeat the barrier between the brain and blood. By contrast, anandamide is lipid-soluble, meaning it can in fact travel from the blood to the brain. The brain’s endocannabinoid system is the same one impacted by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

Methodology

First, researchers had one group of mice use a running wheel for five hours while another group remained sedentary. The exercising group later displayed less anxiety than the control group. The team used a dark-to-light box test to measure anxiety. Researchers observed the frequency with which mice dart from a brightly lit area to the dark to hide. The team also measured pain tolerance. When tested, the running mice demonstrated a higher tolerance for pain.

In an article in Chemical and Engineering News, David Raichlen credits the team with moving “the field forward by providing such a complete view of how this key reward system is involved in allowing exercise to improve psychological state and pain sensitivity.” Raichlen is a brain evolution expert at the University of Arizona.

Enhanced Anxiolysis and Analgesia

The researchers demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system is vital to inducing a runner’s high in two ways – inducing acute anxiolysis and analgesia. An anxiolytic is a psychoactive compound that inhibits anxiety. Such compounds occur naturally within the body as well as in prescription medications. Concentrated doses of anxiolytics may even be used treat anxiety disorders. Analgesics reduce pain sensation while maintaining consciousness. For example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) are non-opioid analgesics, while morphine is an opioid analgesic.

The study concludes that cannabinoid receptors are vital in producing anxiolysis and analgesia – key aspects of the runner’s high. Ultimately, the research team demonstrated “that the endocannabinoid system is crucial for two main aspects of a runner’s high.” Ultimately, the study demonstrated that wheel running increases endocannabinoids while reducing anxiety and pain sensations in mice.

According to the German research team, this is the first study to demonstrate that both endorphins and endocannabinoids contribute to the runner’s high.

I believe that a deeper understanding of the biopsychology of running is intimately connected to better performance. A basic goal always remains – to address specific aspects of the running experience while maintaining a holistic perspective.

Our mission is to employ a comprehensive approach to bring on positive, enduring changes in a runner’s mental attitude, biomechanics and physical capability. To achieve that end, we offer a full selection of activities and resources, including private coaching, training groups and topical running camps. We connect runners to one another, and we help those who love the sport to attain heretofore unrealized goals and dreams.

"The dream was to get around the world in 80 days. To get back here in 78 days and change is an absolute dream come true. When I left here, I felt like a lot of people were excited by the idea but thought it was impossible. The success of cycling around the world in 80 days shows that what seemed impossible is possible and has redefined the limits of endurance sport... I've had the most incredible team. Ten years ago I finished here doing an unsupported race around the world and this time to go with a full support team is a completely different mindset."

Understanding the physiological effects of positive emotions such as caring, compassion or appreciation for someone or something can actually go a long way in helping people reduce their risky training behaviors. In effect, these heart-brain interactions cohere and soften the heart which, by processing the good feelings, circulates positive information throughout the entire body. All this adds up to a heightened sensitivity to what works for us, the basic self-awareness so important to optimal health, performance and enjoyment.

Running and sport involvement is one of many innovative treatments for healing trauma. Activities like music, meditation, drama, and yoga offer new pathways to recovery by stimulating the brain’s natural neuro-plasticity. Creative therapists are employing exercises that help people focus on bodily sensations— and it’s largely through heightened body awareness that past traumas can be renegotiated and revisited rather than relived repeatedly.

Art has either coached or competed at every running distance from 100 meters to 100 miles. His love of running is matched only by his love of helping other runners surpass their personal goals. His holistic, comprehensive approach to running creates positive, lasting changes in his clients’ biomechanics, physical capabilities, and mental attitudes.

The Way of Running delves into a world unknown to most runners: the ways we unconsciously limit ourselves through chronic tension, anxious thoughts, and unskilled movement. It focuses on the positive, lasting changes every runner can make in their daily training habits to move past those imaginary limits.